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35/36 ford sedan with body swap to coupe - possible ?

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by telbert twang, Mar 31, 2010.

  1. telbert twang
    Joined: Feb 17, 2010
    Posts: 22

    telbert twang
    Member
    from estonia

    Hi,

    Although right now am pretty far from reaching the real buy yet, I am, besides the shoebox Ford, dipping more and more into the 30.-s cars ideas, liking the long tailed coupes with short cabin (a´la lincoln zephyr, 36 ford 3 window, etc) the most. Just to get some education from you the cool H.A.M.B. folks :

    What if to get something like this (a Tudor) in pretty complete form, with title, with much cheaper price than a 3w, then find a reasonably repairable bare bodyshell of the 35/36 coupe, and swap the bodies? Would it be basically fittable ? How much (and what) actually should be adjusted to fit the 3w body onto Tudor ? Lots of work, or would the match be easy, up to dashboard and even fenders (with assumable small sheetmetal work) , not to mention the frames matching - wheelbase etc ?

    The reason to ask such stupid thing is to find out the cheapest ways to possibly get a complete 35/36 3w ford ( I hopefully will own something cool from Ford´s Flattie era one day :) )

    thanks,
    telbert
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2010
  2. chaddilac
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,052

    chaddilac
    Member

    Yep it's been done... someone on here took a customers 5 window coupe that was hacked to crap and used a sedan body to repair everything even the quarters were used. Turned out really nice!!!

    Someone will chime in with the link, I can't remember who it was?
     
  3. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 6,011

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

  4. Dooley
    Joined: May 29, 2002
    Posts: 3,088

    Dooley
    Member
    from Buffalo NY

    That 36 Ford roadster that was done by Rod and Custom back in the late 60's-early 70's had a 35 Ford Tudor frame.

    I believe that the big differences occour with an open car 35-36 as there is an extra brace to support the cowl area.
     
  5. Here is what I am doing. Click on link below.
     
  6. Retrorod
    Joined: Jan 25, 2006
    Posts: 2,034

    Retrorod
    Member

    The tudor frame is basically the same as a coupe, roadster or even a pickup I think.
     
  7. brigrat
    Joined: Nov 9, 2007
    Posts: 6,011

    brigrat
    Member
    from Wa.St.

    Thanks Ron, I was trying to find your thread to post but couldn't come up with the rite search words I guess.
     
  8. magoozi
    Joined: May 20, 2009
    Posts: 1,800

    magoozi
    Member
    from san diego

    I have a 36 3-window jalopy body, a friend of mine left me a deposit on it , but he is not shure whether he can come up with the rest of the money, It is cheap $4000.00 dlls, I will ask him if he wants me to sell it. And yes the twodoor doors are the same from the belt line down, as well as the cowl and floor pan . Call me if you are interested at 619-573-2637
     
  9. hellonwheels
    Joined: Jan 16, 2007
    Posts: 779

    hellonwheels
    Member
    from Bastrop

  10. Django
    Joined: Nov 15, 2002
    Posts: 10,198

    Django
    Member
    from Chicago

    Yep, all the frames are the same. The rear fenders are not interchangeable but can be modified to work. Sedan fenders all interchange with other sedans. Coupe/roadster/cabriolet fenders interchange amongst the 3 body styles. Sedan Delivery fenders are unique, as are woodie fenders. All fronts and running boards interchange. All dashes interchange with the exception of the roadster which is unique. Cabriolet and woodie dashes look the same but they will only interchange with each other. '35 sheetmetal interchanges with 36 and vice versa.
     
  11. hotrod40coupe
    Joined: Apr 8, 2007
    Posts: 2,561

    hotrod40coupe
    Member

    It can be done but think about the amount of work to do it. Then consider just finding a 3 window to start with. What's your time worth?
     
  12. You have a wallet that big? A nice 3-window is far from cheap, a scroungy tudor can be had for next to nothing by comparison.
     
    Last edited: Mar 31, 2010
  13. Dooley
    Joined: May 29, 2002
    Posts: 3,088

    Dooley
    Member
    from Buffalo NY

    Dude re-read the post, he is trying to find a cheap 3 Window body and add it to a cheap 2door frame...
     
  14. carbuilder
    Joined: Nov 21, 2006
    Posts: 982

    carbuilder
    Member

    We all want cheap 3 window bodys Danny.
     
  15. alchemy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2002
    Posts: 22,260

    alchemy
    Member

    There's a 3-window roof in the classifieds right now. Be a NICE start on that conversion.
     
  16. Django
    Joined: Nov 15, 2002
    Posts: 10,198

    Django
    Member
    from Chicago

    Who is selling it? All I could find were Reggie's 5 window roof and kbcookout's 5 window roof pieces.
     
  17. Sorry, let me fix my post so it's more clear to whom I am replying. Unless you get REALLY lucky, there is no such thing as a cheap 3-window body. My buddy scored one - he got lucky - you could buy it for about $10K. It's an old stock car, I did some research, it's probably worth about $5000 if you wanted to sell it quickly.
     
  18. Slick Willy
    Joined: Aug 3, 2008
    Posts: 3,058

    Slick Willy
    Member

    How about this?? It makes me think ANYTHING is possible!!:D
    http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=163762
     
  19. alchemy
    Joined: Sep 27, 2002
    Posts: 22,260

    alchemy
    Member

    Now I can't find it. Maybe it got removed? I think it was around $3,000 for the roof? Some kid selling it for his Dad or something like that.
     
  20. FalconMan
    Joined: Sep 9, 2008
    Posts: 1,404

    FalconMan
    Member
    from Minnesota

    I bought my complete rust-free 3W for $4k ...... but that was 13 years ago. I think I got real lucky on that one :)
     
  21. telbert twang
    Joined: Feb 17, 2010
    Posts: 22

    telbert twang
    Member
    from estonia

    So, roughly speaking
    (talkin about same year models ford tudors/fordors
    versus coupes respectively, 1935-1940 era) -

    *the frames - are they same in all major aspects (wheelbase, eng./tranny fitting points, steering column position, etc) ?
    *The body attachments to the frame - are they same (with possible minor modifications needs) ?
    *the front fenders and nose sheet metal - are they same?
    *The sedans back fenders - can they be modified to fit the coupe´s body, with reasonable amount of sheet metal work?
    * the Tudors doors (or the Fordors fwd doors? ) - are they the same as 5 window coupes doors (with the possible exception of deluxe clube coupe, which may have something longer somewhere ?) ?
    *The dashes - are they the same (both the sheet metal and the gauges) ?


    thanks,
    telbert
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2010
  22. telbert twang
    Joined: Feb 17, 2010
    Posts: 22

    telbert twang
    Member
    from estonia

    No comments on the previous post?

    The (possibly crazy and utopistic) idea is just to think out how to get and build a coupe ford ´35-´40 with the tighter budget :)
     
  23. what exactly is the question? you last post is too hard for me to follow

    if this helps , my `36 three window is mounted on a `40 ford sedan frame. the body was made from scrap pieces and swap meet/ebay stuff
     
  24. hellonwheels
    Joined: Jan 16, 2007
    Posts: 779

    hellonwheels
    Member
    from Bastrop

    Things get more complicated when you include 37-40 bodies. They are all unique from year to year. Then there are differences between standard and deluxe bodies, like firewalls, fenders, and hoods with respect to how they bolt together. Some those parts are not interchangable from what I understand. You might have better luck sticking with 35-36 since most of it can interchange.

    Besides, if you want a 3-window, 36 was the last year.:)
     
  25. telbert twang
    Joined: Feb 17, 2010
    Posts: 22

    telbert twang
    Member
    from estonia

    My motivation to educate myself is very simple - the sedans are much cheaper than the coupes. I want a ford coupe, ´35...40. But apart from inside US , I need to pay all the extra stuff to get it into EU (local transportation, title organising, shipping, customs, etc - huge amount of extra money, talking thousands of extra dollars) So, I want to know , how to get a pretty complete full project here as costeffectively as possible. Hence I want to know whether my assumptions hold water or not, i.e. in my post nr 21 , I asked whether the listed things are ´swapable´/exchangeable between sedans and coupes ´35, sedans and coupes ´36, sedans and coupes ´37 , sedans and coupes ´38, sedans and coupes ´39, sedans and coupes ´40. If so, then one possible way to cut cost (and pay for it with the extra time of work laterwards, of course :)) would be to buy a cheaper and more commonly offered sedan and then a separate coupe body and plant it onto the sedan chassis. If it turns out to be too much of hassle, then there is time to start to think how find some extra money for real coupe...
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2010
  26. ricardo_rocha
    Joined: Nov 29, 2008
    Posts: 765

    ricardo_rocha
    Member
    from Brazil

    Im thinking about the same...There is a guy around here that has made it...
     
  27. ricardo_rocha
    Joined: Nov 29, 2008
    Posts: 765

    ricardo_rocha
    Member
    from Brazil

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